Day after day, Anders Hill and Sam Martin would meet on the Fairview High School football field, developing their formula. Deep posts, precise "out" routes, lightning-quick slants, perfectly timed screen passes — all repeated under the hot summer sun until it became second nature.

Now all of that lab work has landed Fairview in the Class 5A state semifinals. The top-seeded Knights (11-0), seeking their first state title since 1987, play fifth-seeded ThunderRidge (11-1) on Saturday at Shea Stadium.

"We've developed a bond and we're best friends," said Hill, the Knights' 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior quarterback. "I guess it's a quarterback-wide receiver thing, but we do everything together. We play Xbox, hang out in Boulder, whatever. Even our girlfriends are good friends."

The Martin-Hill chemistry has forged one of the most prolific passing seasons in state history. Martin, a 6-3, 185-pound senior with 4.4 speed in the 40 and sticky fingers, already has set a record with 1,604 yards receiving this year. His 92 receptions rank fifth all time, 10 behind the season record.

Hill has completed 236 passes this season, ranking third in state history.

"The way Anders handles things — how he reacts at the line of scrimmage, the way he sees things — is nothing short of amazing," Martin said. "And he has a really strong arm to go with that big build. He's everything you want in a quarterback."

Fairview has racked up 502 points (45.6 points per game). A hint of the Peyton Manning-like passing offense was on display in July. The Knights won the Colorado section of the NFL's annual seven-on-seven tournament. Sponsored by the Broncos, the Knights then traveled to the national tournament in July in Cleveland, advancing to the semifinals before losing to a powerhouse from Miami.

"That was a great experience for us," Fairview coach Tom McCartney said. "Seven-on-seven isn't real football because it's all passing and it's one-handed touch, but it is about timing and precision, and I think that helped us."

The Knights' spread offense is as explosive as nitroglycerin. Mountain Vista discovered that in a 42-7 loss in the first round of the playoffs. Fairview had the ball at its 10-yard line and came out in a running formation. Mountain Vista stacked the line, leaving Martin facing one-on-one coverage.

"Sam ran a deep corner route and I threw it to him over his shoulder," Hill said, grinning at the memory. "He never broke stride and we had a 90-yard touchdown. That's the thing about Sam, he can make plays at any time on the field."

Both players have hopes of playing college football. Hill has visited Cornell, Montana and Colorado, while Martin has visited Rutgers and Iowa.

McCartney is confident both can contribute at the next level.

"Some people, I'm talking about scouts and recruiters, look at Sam and see more of a possession guy," McCartney said. "At our level, we love it when people think that, because he runs right by people. But he can run, no doubt about it."

Just to make sure recruiters fully understand his explosiveness, Martin has compiled a highlight film — made not on the football field, but on the basketball court.

"It's easy, just effortless, for Sam to go into the gym and just dunk basketball after basketball," McCartney said. "So he put that on video just to show how easy it is for him. Plus, he's just a natural ball catcher. I think he's going to make somebody really happy at the next level."

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